Ibn Ezra on Isaiah

but now hear the good which I shall do unto thee.

From the womb. With this expression the prophet alludes to Jacob (comp. Hos. 12:4; in my commentary thereon I shall explain it), or metaphorically to the time, when Israel was declared to be the people of the Lord. ישרון Jesurun. It is originally an adjective derived from ישר right; there is no other instance of this form.

For I will pour water, etc. As I pour water over the place that is thirsty, so will I pour out the spirit of my holiness, or of my salvation, etc. אֶצּׁק I will pour out. The Dagesh in צ compensates for the י which is omitted; comp. אצרך I shall form thee (Jer. 1:5)

And they shall spring up. The pronoun they refers to My spirit, and My blessing, of the preceding verse; according to others to thine offspring. בבין חציר Like grass. Lit., between the grass, that is, as if they were between grass. They will increase and multiply.

One shall say, etc. They will be numerous, and the majority of them will be faithful to God, and desirous of returning to His house. And another shall call himself by the name of Jacob, in order to show to all nations, how proud he is of belonging to the holy people. בידו=ידו With his hand. And another shall subscribe unto the Lord, that he is willing to go to the sanctuary of the Lord. יכנה He will surname himself.—Many refer this verse to proselytes; comp. Ten men shall take hold, out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you; for we have heard that God is with you (Zec. 8:23)

The King of Israel, When the Israelites were in their own land. And his redeemer, when he is in exile. The Lord of hosts. He is always king, and the hosts of heaven testify it. I am the first, the first king.

And who is like me, that is, Who pretends to be like me. יקרא Shall lift up his voice. And shall declare it, namely all that has passed. עם עולם The ancient people. עולם means here of old. ואתיות And the things that are coming. It is like a perfect verb. למו For themselves, that is, in order to show that they know it.

אל תרהו Be ye not afraid, תרהו is hap. leg; those that identify it with תראו are wrong, on account of the absence of the radical י — Be not afraid, when those calamities befall Babylon. Have I not told thee of it long ago? Ye are even my witnesses, and you will see whether there is a God beside me; There is no God בל ירעתי whom I know not to be vain and powerless. According to some, whom I chastised not; comp. ויודע and he chastised (Jud. 8:16). I think that the prophet speaks here of the host of heaven.

They that make a graven image, are all of them vanity. They themselves as well as their images are vanity. וחמוריהם And their delectable things. The objects which they ornament with figures, that they be charming to the eye, namely the idols. And they are their witnesses, to testify that the images see not, nor know. That they may be ashamed. Connect this phrase with they are their witnesses.

Who hath formed, etc. Is there any thoughtlessness like this, to attempt to form a god? God. So called in the sense of him who formed the image. נסך He hath molten. Comp. מסכה molten (Jer. 7:5)

His fellows. The priests of Baal, or the artificers of the idols; the latter explanation is the better. Let them all be gathered together and be ashamed.

חָרַשׁ Smith. In the construct state the ר has Pathah, in the absolute it has Kamez, without exception. מעצר A cutting instrument of iron. מקבות Borer. An instrument used for making a hole. יצרהו He fashioneth it. Comp. צורה form, or, what is still better, יצירה formation. He is hungry. The smith is hungry.

The carpenter, etc. After having mentioned the mason and smith, he speaks of the carpenter. The carpenter stretches out his rule, etc. This is just the mode of proceeding of those workmen. יתארהו He forms it or he draws the outlines; comp. ותאר הגבול and the border was drawn (Jos. 15:9). שרד A kind of drug used for dying. The word is hap. leg. יעשהו He finisheth it. מקצעות Rulers. This is the opinion of R. Jonah. מחוגה Compass. Comp. חוג circle (40:22). It is an instrument used for drawing a circle. According to the beauty of a man, that is, the female, according to the opinion of some ; but I think that it is in reality only a repetition of the preceding idea. לשבת בית That it may remain in the house. That it be like a man, who dwells in his house.

He heweth him down cedars, etc. Some cut the idols out of cedar wood, others of. תרזה cypress. It is the name of a tree. ויאמץ לו And he planted it. אורן It is either the name of a tree, or it means root. וגשם And the stem. Lit., the substance comp. גשמא in Chaldee, and in Arabic body. According to others: rain ; the meaning of וגשם יגדל is then, and the rain will cause it to grow.

לבער To bum. Then shall it be for a man, etc. Some warm themselves by the fire, others kindle it, etc. ישיק He kindleth it. Comp. נשקה was kindled (Ps. Ixxviii. 21); the meaning of נשק is similar to that of בער to burn. ויסגד And falleth down. This word is frequently met with in Arabic and Chaldaic.

האח Aha. Interjection of joy; comp. Ps. 35:21. אור Fire, Comp. 31:9. ראיתי I have seen. It is to be taken literally. R. Saadiah explains it I enjoyed, but he has no parallel instance to support his rendering.

A god according to his idea. His image. This is the explanation of the expression a god which precedes.

לא ידעו ולא יבינו They have not known nor understood. The seat of knowledge (רעת) is in those cavities of the brain that are nearer to the forehead; the understanding (בינה) is in the middle one, that is also in the middle of the head. טח He hath shut. Comp. וטח and he shall plaister (Lev, 14:42); it is a transitive verb; the Lord is understood as the subject to it. עיניהם Their eyes. The eye of each of them; this construction is not at all rare.

His heart. His intellect, which is the principal part of man. במו=ב In. Comp. כמו=כ as (Ps. 58:10). ויתרו And the residue thereof. בול It is hap. leg. It means, according to some authorities, an image, or a statue. R. Moses Hakkohen compares it with בול plant (Job 40:20).

He feedeth on ashes. He is like a man who feedeth on ashes, that hurt and do no good. It may also be compared with Ephraim feedeth on wind (Hos. 12:2). הותל Foolish. It is an adjective; the form of adjectives is not constant. The form of הותל is like that of מועדת out of joint (Prov.xxv. 19). לב הותל הטהו A foolish heart hath turned him aside. The verb הטה is always used in an unfavorable sense: to turn from the right way. As to the phrase אחרי רבים להטות (Ex. 23:2) I have given my opinion. used in a bad sense (לגנאי). These words are only brought in connection with that rule לזכר, as a mnemonicon.

Remember these, those which I have done, when thou wast in thy land. For thou art my servant. Since thou hast been my servant, confess thy former sins; I am desirous to keep thee as my servant. אתה Thou. Thou alone. V., I have formed thee, thou art my servant. תנשני is Niphal, and I think that the meaning of לא תנשני is: Thou shalt not be forgotten of me. The meaning of the verse is: Remember me, and I will remember thee.

As a thick cloud, that passeth away; when the sun comes out, it is no more.

Sing, 0 ye heavens, etc. This is a figurative expression ; it means: great rejoicing will be through Israel, for through the redemption of Israel the glory of God will be revealed to the whole world.

That maketh all things, which I desire; you may infer it from the fact, that I, by myself, stretch forth the heaven. מאתי By myself. Lit., from myself, that is, by my strength; for God is incorporeal. It is written in two words, מי אתי. who is with me, which is the same as I alone. Consider well the words of the text: who stretcheth forth the heavens and spreadeth abroad the earth ; they teach us that it is God who is continually keeping heaven and earth in existence.

בדים Liars. Comp. בדיך thy lies (Job 11:3). More probably בדים is connected with בדד alone, and signifies such, persons as pretend to be able to emancipate their souls from, the influence of the body, which some in reality can do. וקוסמים And astrologers. Lit., men that decide by reason, and say that and that will happen; while בדים foretell the future not by reasonable means. Wise men. Persons, who divine from the liver or shoulder, and soothsayers.

His servant. The prophet himself. The word of his servant, that Jerusalem shall be inhabited. תושב Thou shalt be inhabited. Root ישב to dwell. Comp. תורד thou shalt be brought down (14:15) from ירד to go down. Her decayed places. The decayed places of every city, or of Jerusalem.

מצולה=צולה (Jon. 2:4) The deep. A figurative expression, signifying Babylon, that was full of men and wealth like the deep of the sea.

That saith to Cyrus, etc. This verse proves that Jerusalem was built in the days of Cyrus; the words thy foundation shall be laid contain an allusion to the fact, that Cyrus ordered the temple to be built, but after its foundation had been laid by Zerubbabel, prohibited its further restoration; it is therefore clear, that Daniel made no mistake in his calculations, as I have already explained.